Two commissioned fruit cakes for an 80th birthday. There is one party on Sunday afternoon for about sixty people who will be travelling some distance and another on the day itself the following Wednesday for the Court residents who number about eighty but probably only around sixty will turn up for the tea party. Tomorrow I marzipan and then will put them away until 2nd September when I shall ice.

I swore I had finished making celebration cakes but was asked so nicely that I could not refuse. The dried fruit soaked in a bottle of sherry and a bottle of brandy for over two weeks so these cakes should be rather special.

Nothing today but the other day i made banana, fudge and white chocolate muffins which are yum.

Today, my sister gave me a bunch of over ripe bananas to do something with. I want to make a blondie/brownie sanwich type thing today with banana peanut butter blondies on the bottom and my usual white choc chip brownies on top with a sprinkling of salty sweet crushed nuts in betweeen. I just don't know how it'll turn out... should i bake the lot together? Will the batters mix? I need to do more research!

Nothing baked by me this weekend but my new man baked two rather tasty and stunning looking french sticks yesterday - one of which we had to mop up the juices of the Moules Marinere that I made us for dinner last night The other has gone into the freezer for now.

Today I made a Sour Cream Apple Pie with Streusel Topping. The apple filling is cooked in a custard of sour cream and egg, and sets solid when cold, making it ideal for picnic, as there are no fruit juices to leak out.

MrsWWoof wrote:Nothing baked by me this weekend but my new man baked two rather tasty and stunning looking french sticks yesterday - one of which we had to mop up the juices of the Moules Marinere that I made us for dinner last night The other 'one has gone into the freezer for now.

I decided to light my oven and cooked a raspberry and polenta cake, a hugh tray of halved tommys which I then squeezed the skins off as they are a bit tough. A casserole of chicken carcass, veg peelings and bay leaves. 4 baked tatos for other meals coming up. Simmered parsnips for up coming meals - either to roast or mash. I cannot bear to put the oven on for just one thing ! Blue Meanie !!!

--All the bestIanhttp://www.souvigne.comThe Earth is degenerating today. Bribery and corruption abound. Children no longer obey their parents, every man wants to write a book, and it is evident that the end of the world is fast approaching.

Hi there - I have just joined - what a find!! I recognise quite a few names from the Beeb boards .... went there today after a loooong time away - and found that it was closed!! Couldnt believe it! Anyway - found this one and I know I going to love it just as much - almost!! Anyway - I have got a loaf of bread in the oven as i write - (smells good ....) I was delayed and so was the bread - but it looks good and is rising well. I have Paulthe Bread to thank for my interest in bread - a couple of years ago! Thank you Paul. This loaf was made with an overnight starter - I really think that a lot of flavour is added this way.

Do Yorkshire puddings count? If so - then for reasons I will not bore you with which involve a fastidious cat and her owner Onslow - we are getting through a couple of chickens a week - I have to find new and interesting was to eat them and today was a roast chicken dinner with the Yp's!

Sealeablue wrote:Hi there - I have just joined - what a find!! I recognise quite a few names from the Beeb boards

Welcome!! You'll find there are more ex beebers than you might expect, some of us changed our nicks from Beeb days. You might like to know that apart from here, the excellent Sakkarin has created the BBC Rescue Board where you'll find more refugees.

--All the bestIanhttp://www.souvigne.comThe Earth is degenerating today. Bribery and corruption abound. Children no longer obey their parents, every man wants to write a book, and it is evident that the end of the world is fast approaching.

Today in my lovely new combi oven I made a victoria sandwich (but cherry jam filling), 2 pizzas (one wheat, one spelt) and 4 spelt rolls. All cooked much better than in my old oven. I'm in love! It even managed to cook 2 pizzas at once (one on each shelf) and they both cooked in the same time!) My old oven would only cook things on one shelf - the bottom shelf wouldn't cook!

Today I've baked some eccles cakes as they are one of hubby's favourites and he was very disappointed with some he bought earlier in the week. Can't take full credit as I used ready-made all butter puff pastry. They're very nice though .

I needed to use up some pastry and some courgettes, so I softened some slices in olive oil and looked around at what I'd got that would give it a little extra something - a little softened onion didn't quite do enough, then I looked at the herb garden and decided that sage would be right with courgettes, so picked a few leaves and cut them into little strips, put them all into a bowl together and stirred them around and left the flavours to mingle for about 30 mins while the pastry case was baking blind.

Nothing today - I was going to bake Mary Berry's Lemon Drizzle Traybake, but try as I would I couldn't find a baking tin to suit the recipe, or one that would adapt - I ended up on Lakeland's website ordering one, and some other bits and pieces

We made FoodMary's excellent chicken, bacon and vegetable pie tonight to the general acclaim of our french guests.

Last edited by ianinfrance on August 27th, 2012, 9:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.

--All the bestIanhttp://www.souvigne.comThe Earth is degenerating today. Bribery and corruption abound. Children no longer obey their parents, every man wants to write a book, and it is evident that the end of the world is fast approaching.

yesterday's baking session was called off when i realised i didn't have enough butter. going shopping this morning and, hopefully baby permitting, #1 son and I will bake something this afternoon. Need to as my parents are visiting tomorrow.

I've made a list of things I need to bake in the next few days as things need using up:spinach, tomato and feta quichemini plum pies (for #1 son's lunchboxes)blackberry and apple pies (ditto)carrot cake (to eat tomorrow)courgette and sage quichemushroom and blue cheese pasties (done Paul's way with bread instead of pastry)something to use up the lemons before they turn...

Sealeablue wrote: I was delayed and so was the bread - but it looks good and is rising well. I have Paulthe Bread to thank for my interest in bread - a couple of years ago! Thank you Paul. This loaf was made with an overnight starter - I really think that a lot of flavour is added this way.

Why, thank you, Sealeablue! Glad to be of help.

Just come across this thread - have a dozen wholemeal rolls in the oven, ATM, begun yesterday. Overnight, no-knead bread, begun under a roasting dish for the first ten minutes to give it a better rise.

Breadmaking is an easy, everyday activity - not some difficult art form!

yesterday - spinach, tom and feta quiche, courgette and sage quiche (little bit came off when i cut it up for the freezer - tasted lovely!) and mini quiche with a bit of everything that was left over (other than the sage). #1 son made the pastry with me!

I've got some overnight no-knead dough proving at the mo. doesn't quite look big enough yet (it's only the first prove) but I need it done by lunchtime. Got to make the carrot cake still.

We made a batch of Merrilees Parker's wonderful Butternut Squash, gruyere and Serrano ham pasties, but subbing our own raw ham and Comté cheese. Smelling wonderful.

Last edited by ianinfrance on August 30th, 2012, 5:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.

--All the bestIanhttp://www.souvigne.comThe Earth is degenerating today. Bribery and corruption abound. Children no longer obey their parents, every man wants to write a book, and it is evident that the end of the world is fast approaching.

And tonight - presently in the oven - I have a dozen bread rolls, using 500g Doves Malthouse flour and 200g Sonnenblumen-Kernbrot (which I think means sunflower and sourdough flour) from Lidl. I've also included 80g ground flaxseeds. These are for my daughter, who's been staying with us for a few days while our grandchildren are here, to take home with her tomorrow.

I haven't put any details on my blog yet, since I'm currently a week behind. But I will!

Cheers, Paul

Breadmaking is an easy, everyday activity - not some difficult art form!

I've baked Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's Fumble dessert topping since I last posted. It's a crumble topping baked separately. Store in an airtight container then use as required on top of fruit and cream/custard, or low fat yogurt, or as he does, a fruit fool. It enables you to build your own crumble, with dieters taking fewer crumble clusters, and using low-fat dairy products.

I baked some Millie's style chocolate chip cookies yesterday for my daughter. They, according to her, are the best cookies I've ever made. I didn't actually make the dough yesterday, that had been frozen last time I made them (daughter is pretty much the only one that eats them and a whole recipe makes FAR too many so I had a go at freezing the dough as cookie sized balls), I defrosted the dough balls and then cooked as usual, as far as I know they were exacty the same.

Today I baked queen cakes which I iced and gave away as presents to the two young neighbouring children who started school this week, for their lunch boxes. Old fashioned, but still they loved them as I put a little sweet on top of each cake. Can't see them lasting too long in either house!

They both asked if they could come and help next time! Not sure what I have started here.